Message Managing D¡rector - NEWALL · variations, from Flotilla sailing to popular naturist...
4
ÈIEWALL MACHINE TOOLS When we f¡rst brought together Butler, Keighley Grinders and Newall under the operating banner of Butler Newall, we fortunately ant¡c¡pated the ma¡or¡ty of problems facing us, although I must confess, with hindsight, some came as a surpr¡se. Message f Managing rom the D¡rector Spring lssue very healthy order book which will show a further increase in activity levels over last year. It remains a very competitive world market we are operating in with ours a particularly difficult sector as machine tool manufacturers, so the continuing pressure to improve performance and reduce costs must go on. ' We spent quite a sum on training last year as we firmly believe the way forward is to increase expertise within the company. We have taken on Apprent¡ces for the first time for many years. We have already put together a sizeable training plan for this year. lf anyone feels they have been overlooked they should urgently discuss it with Peter Wilds. We are well on the way to linking the Keighley factory onto the Halifax computer which has cost us in excess of f50,000. However, itshould give us much greater control on scheduling of production and material require- ment with the whole exercise expected to be complete by mid 1987. I am continually asked "what do Elliotts make of our problems?" Well, they are, as you would expect, extremely concerned. They have been very patient both.by supporting us and resisting undue outside and internal pressure on the company. They have allocated funds to assist in identifying new markets and products an intensive study of which is ongoing at the moment. Mr. Frye, the Chairman is directing this study which should be of real benefit to us in the future. At lastthe company is ableto develop a strategic plan for the future with confi- dence. However, at the end of the day Elliotts are looking for results and it is up to us to give them those results by stick- ing to programmes and getting quality machines delivered as scheduled, atthe right price, at the lowest cost to us, installed and working into the customers plant in the shortest time. This can only be achieved if we are all pull¡ng together. Here's to a prosperous future for all and maybe even a trip to those Bahamas! K. LEECH Managing Director One area in parlicular which caused us concern was howwe could win the commitment of everyone to the survival of the new company, particularly when you took into con- sideration the experiences of the preceeding few years, the fact that the three sites were a distance apart and most employees would perhaps never actually meet, even though the future success depended on their joint efforts. Rlghtly orwrongly we decided that a major step towards gaining the commitment we needed to succeed was to try to make people feel involved, make them understand what was going on and why, hence the introduction of Briefing Notes and Kephax. Even though I agreed with this new, what is to most openness we were embarking upon, lwas con- cerned in as much that business is in some ways like a marriage; life doesn't always fun smoothly and at times things are not all we would like them to be but to avoid depressing our partner we tend to shelter them from the problems as much as we possibly can. My dilemma, when reminded that the next issue of Kephax was due was, just how far should I go in explaining our problems which are at the moment quite depressing and frustrating - when what is really needed is an almighty effort by all. I think this some- what explains my long introduction. At the moment Butler Newall is going through a very difficult period which could not be at a worse time, with the financial year end just past. We still have at present a large number of grinding machines and Elgamills to complete and ship. Cash is now extremely tight with the build-up of semi-finished machines almost unbelievable. (lf you had to live off the interest we are paying on our borrowings, you certainly wouldn't be shivering in this weather, you would be in the Bahamas soaking up the sun and drinking halves of bitter at f4.50 a time! - so l'm told) Our problem is simply one of getting machines out of the door. Unfortunately we are in a very fast moving technological arena where the micron is viewed as a mountain and the microprocessor is believed to solve everything including that mrcron. The major cause of the build-up in work in progress is the new Cam Grinder which accounts for 23 of the machines in build at Keighley. We are struggling, not to beat drawing toler- ances (which we have already done), butto reach near perfection. Never- theless my confidence in the machine is just as high as when we embarked on the project machine and the end result is a cred¡t to the company. It is in my opinion the best machine of its type on the market. The way out of our present problems is not to panic, but to take as many other pressures as possible off the people working on the Cam Grinders and allocate other resources to the other machines in the programme, which is just what we have done and it will, I am confident, pay dividends in the not too distant future. On the bright side, our order input has been exceptionally good since the last issue of Kephax. We have prepared our budget for next year with things looking quite encouraging from a
Transcript of Message Managing D¡rector - NEWALL · variations, from Flotilla sailing to popular naturist...
So you think youte got it rough . . .
Keighley has long been a centre ofthemachine tool industry, and in the year 191 1
I was apprenticed, aged 1 5, as a draughtsman.The wage was 5s., rising by a shilling a year untilone was 21. The starting time was 8.30 a.m.except on two mornings when I had to start at7 a.m. for cleaning, which included sweepingthe floor using wet sawdust.
The office was old and located alongside theRiver Worth, and another duty was to act as ratcatcher, a "Nipper" trap and wire cage beingprovided.
My greatest success was finding fouryoung rats in the wire cage. These weredrowned and thrown on the scrap heap in theyard, though when a workman named Simpsonarrived he picked up the rats, massaged themand placed them on the blacksmith's heartharound the fire. Three revived, and Simpson,borrowing the cage, told me that he trainedAiredales for ratting and that I was never towaste any rats.
Blueprints were taken to dry in front of thisfire. The smith, a serious man, was fond ofremarking "Do you know, lad, that lwork underthe most scandalous conditions of any smithin this country." A common practice was tosend a young apprentice on some fictitiouserrand, but any lad coming in the smithyasking for "the short circuit" was marched backto the sender and both given a sharp rebuke.
The striker being more friendly, used to quote"the Smith a mighty man is he, what musthis Striker be."
Strict economy was practised, brown paperand string from parcels was saved. lt wasrumoured thatthe chief draughtsman had threedrawers labelled respectively: long pieces ofstring; short pieces; pieces too short to beused. Certainly on occasions he would comewith a smalljug and pour some water into thebottles of lndian ink, explaining that it wouldstand thinning down. He also produced a
shoe box and suggested that the surplusrubber from the drawing boards might besaved and sold, but this suggestion wasignored.
At the age of 1 I each young draughtsmanwent into the works for 18 months. This meantstarting at 6 a,m. with breakfast at 8.30 takensitting on the bench. There was no canteenand no hot water for making tea, these facilitiesnot appearing until the First War. The toiletaccommodation was crude, the seating in a rowof six being merely a narrow plank with a
constant stream of water from the beckrunning underneath. At intervals workmenwith a misplaced sense of humour would lighta sheet of newspaper and float it under anycustomers occupying the seats.
lnstruction was almost lacking, the appren-tice picking up what he could by watching
the seniors. ln the turning shop the foreman'sinstructions on precision was limited to tworemarks: "This can be as rough as a bear'sbehind," or "this is important, ¡t wants to beto the ten thousandth part of a cat's hair."
There were 12 machine tool firms inKeighley at this period, but the firm in questionwent bankrupt in the recession of 1924. I joinedthe staff of the Keighley Technical Col lege, thePrincipal being William Healey, father of Denis(later Chancellor of the Exchequer) and hisbrother. My wife and myself spent many hourslooking after these tvvo, then, small boys.
Holidays 1986 - From Butlers to BaliIt isthat time of year once again -Xmas overnot much to look forward to, other than acold, grey English winter.
The warming news is that 1986 has all themakings of a bumper year for packageholidays abroad. This is a result of adisastrous summer in 1985, a strong poundand a price war between the holidaycompanies: also whilst inflation soars,holiday costs are in most cases, far lessthan last year.
Most tour operators are claiming that theyare 1 00% up on bookings made at thesame time last year, therefore the messagethis year is the late Fred Pontin's famoussaying "Book Early". Getting a cheapbargain by booking late, is becoming athing ofthe past.
There,is further good news foremployees of Butler Newall. PickfordsTravel is offering a 5% discount on mostholidays abroad for employees travellingwith their immediate family.
Let me tàke you on a quick guide of thecurrent leaders for holiday destinations,to give you some ideas on where peopleare booking this year:
This year is seeing the emergence ofSpain as the No. t hotspot, with Greece andher islands a close second. Spain has, after abad year's publicity in 1985, cleaned up herimage by lower hotel rates and raising hotelstandards, thus along with some excellentchild reductions makes a good valueholiday destination,
Greece and her islands are a must forpeople who worship the sun and enjoyrelaxed evenings in Tavernas. Most oftheaccommodation is made up of self-cateringapartments and tavernas, (usually owned bya friendly Greek family), but the fun startsby joining in with the locals at a taverna,eating locally caught fresh fish, along with abottle of Retsina, and pretending you areZorba, when the Bazouki music starts.
The country which is seeing the biggestboom, must be Yugoslavia - the favouriteresorts being Dubrovnik and Porec.
Yugoslavia is a country with manyvariations, from Flotilla sailing to popularnaturist holidays for the more adventurous.
This year also sees the emergence of newdestinations, in particular, Turkey. A counlrythat is beginning to realise its potential intourism. Boasting some glorious beaches -Marmaris and Bodrum seem to be the mostpopular.
Further afield, but yet within reach bothfinancially and distance-wise, exoticsounding places swuch as The Maldives,Bali, St. Lucia and Barbados, are now a realityfor more and more Brit¡sh tourists.
The most popular of the long haulholiday market is the U.S.A., due largelyto the upward surge of Sterling. Disneyworldand the Epcot Centre in the sunshine state ofFlorida, are getting their fair share of Britishholidaymakers - a two centre holiday
combining Miami Beach and Orlando, willcost you approximately Ê550 per personfrom Manchester. Great value for two weeksin first class hotels and an 8000 mileround trip.
I hope I have given you some ideas onwhere to take your holidays this year. Bybooking early, you should get the holiday ofyour choice and something to look forwardto, whilst watching T.V. on a long, darkwinter's night, listening to the rain andsnow driving dow¡ against your window.
Come and see us at Pickfords Travel, at6 Cheapside, Halifax: and RENIEMBER -
5% DISCOUNTTO ALLBUTLER NEWALL EMPLOYEES
HAVE A GOOD HOLIDAYIFRANK MALCHER, t¡ rrusrrr
BRANCH MANAGER (PICKFORDS TRAVEL)
GENERAL KNOWLEDGEoutz
1. Who was the second man to run a mile inunder 4 minutes?
2. Which Couturier designed the "New Look"?
3. Which motor manufacturer marketed a carcalled a "Saphire"?
4. Where is the Bay of Carpentaria?
5. Whofollowed Henry ltothe EnglishThrone?
6. What were the composer Tchaikovsky'sforenames?
7. What is "Aquaeus Humour"?
8. Name 3 Musicals which won the Oscarfor Best Film?
9. ln American Football what are the"Hash Lines"?
10. Who wrote underthe pen name "Saki"Answeß in Next Ed¡tíon
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ÈIEWALLMACHINE TOOLS
When we f¡rst brought together Butler, Keighley Grinders andNewall under the operating banner of Butler Newall, we fortunatelyant¡c¡pated the ma¡or¡ty of problems facing us, although I mustconfess, with hindsight, some came as a surpr¡se.
Message fManaging
rom theD¡rector
Spring lssue
very healthy order book whichwill show a further increase in activitylevels over last year.
It remains a very competitiveworld market we are operating in withours a particularly difficult sector asmachine tool manufacturers, so thecontinuing pressure to improveperformance and reduce costs mustgo on. '
We spent quite a sum on traininglast year as we firmly believe theway forward is to increase expertisewithin the company. We have takenon Apprent¡ces for the first timefor many years. We have already puttogether a sizeable training planfor this year. lf anyone feels theyhave been overlooked they shouldurgently discuss it with Peter Wilds.
We are well on the way to linkingthe Keighley factory onto the Halifaxcomputer which has cost us in excessof f50,000. However, itshould give usmuch greater control on schedulingof production and material require-ment with the whole exercise expectedto be complete by mid 1987.
I am continually asked "what doElliotts make of our problems?" Well,they are, as you would expect,extremely concerned. They have beenvery patient both.by supporting usand resisting undue outside andinternal pressure on the company.They have allocated funds to assist inidentifying new markets and productsan intensive study of which is ongoingat the moment. Mr. Frye, the Chairmanis directing this study which should beof real benefit to us in the future.
At lastthe company is ableto developa strategic plan for the future with confi-dence. However, at the end of the dayElliotts are looking for results and it is upto us to give them those results by stick-ing to programmes and getting qualitymachines delivered as scheduled, attheright price, at the lowest cost to us,installed and working into thecustomers plant in the shortest time.This can only be achieved if we are allpull¡ng together. Here's to a prosperousfuture for all and maybe even a trip tothose Bahamas!
K. LEECHManaging Director
One area in parlicular whichcaused us concern was howwe couldwin the commitment of everyone tothe survival of the new company,particularly when you took into con-sideration the experiences of thepreceeding few years, the fact that thethree sites were a distance apart andmost employees would perhapsnever actually meet, even though thefuture success depended on theirjoint efforts.
Rlghtly orwrongly we decided thata major step towards gaining thecommitment we needed to succeedwas to try to make people feelinvolved, make them understandwhat was going on and why, hencethe introduction of Briefing Notesand Kephax.
Even though I agreed with thisnew, what is to most openness wewere embarking upon, lwas con-cerned in as much that business is insome ways like a marriage; lifedoesn't always fun smoothly and attimes things are not all we would likethem to be but to avoid depressingour partner we tend to shelter themfrom the problems as much as wepossibly can.
My dilemma, when reminded thatthe next issue of Kephax was due was,just how far should I go in explainingour problems which are at the momentquite depressing and frustrating -when what is really needed is analmighty effort by all. I think this some-what explains my long introduction.
At the moment Butler Newall isgoing through a very difficult periodwhich could not be at a worse time,with the financial year end just past.We still have at present a largenumber of grinding machines and
Elgamills to complete and ship.Cash is now extremely tight with thebuild-up of semi-finished machinesalmost unbelievable. (lf you hadto live off the interest we are payingon our borrowings, you certainlywouldn't be shivering in this weather,you would be in the Bahamas soakingup the sun and drinking halves ofbitter at f4.50 a time! - so l'm told)
Our problem is simply one ofgetting machines out of the door.Unfortunately we are in a very fastmoving technological arena wherethe micron is viewed as a mountainand the microprocessor is believedto solve everything including thatmrcron.
The major cause of the build-upin work in progress is the new CamGrinder which accounts for 23 of themachines in build at Keighley. We arestruggling, not to beat drawing toler-ances (which we have already done),butto reach near perfection. Never-theless my confidence in the machineis just as high as when we embarkedon the project machine and the endresult is a cred¡t to the company.It is in my opinion the best machineof its type on the market.
The way out of our present problemsis not to panic, but to take as many otherpressures as possible off the peopleworking on the Cam Grinders andallocate other resources to the othermachines in the programme, which isjust what we have done and it will, I amconfident, pay dividends in the not toodistant future.
On the bright side, our order inputhas been exceptionally good since thelast issue of Kephax. We have preparedour budget for next year with thingslooking quite encouraging from a
"AN ALTERNATIVE A.ZOF PETERBOROUGH'
Well, as the title suggests, I amgoing to try to outline as briefly aspossible, who and where everyoneis at Peterborough, to try and givepeople an inkling of who's whoand what goes on!
Where shall I start?
As you walk into the newbuilding the smell of lingeringcoolant seeps through the officesfrom the shop floor to indicate thatwork has already begun on theCadillac and Bay City Machines.There you will usually find a fewelectrical engineers, such as Nigel(Tut)Wells and Roy Pooleconversing with the likes of MikeRogers or any one of the GSTpersonnel.
Just beyond the shop floor tothe back of the building lies theDrawing Office with a view over-looking farmers fields. The officeitself runs the whole width of thebuilding with drawing boards andbodies running along the length,i.e. Stan Wheeler, Eric Leonard,Peter Swindley, Tim Holt,Brian (BA) Andrews, GeorgeWhitwell, Keith Tinker, BrianBeecham and Ray Morris, with a fewsub-contractors along the otherside, one of whom is also calledBrian which can confuse things,just like having a production lineof Brians!
Directly adjoining the DrawingOffice on one side is the print room -one half of Peter Cherry's facilities -
his other being the dark room! Youcan guarantee that if you go to oneroom to find him, he's in the other!
The Electronics section adjoinsthe other end of the Drawing Officeand runs up the side of the building.There are three other roomsopposite and joining to Electronicsthat bglong to them, one is a testrig, the other a store and the third
the anti-chamber to the shop floor!This is where Mike Rogers, lanParmenter, Roy Poole, Nigel (Tut)Wells, and all GST people live.You can often see them disectingcircuit boards as well!
The next office is Peter Cherry'sdark room as mentioned, and thencomes the 'Mess Room' or the'Microwave Room' or the 'Kitchen'the names are numerous. Every dayat around 1 2.30 this room isfull withpeople using the microwave,making tea or coffee or eventoasting sandwiches on a heater-turned-'sandwich maker' thanksto our electrical genii.
Allan Fisher and Jimmy Mozaffarshare an office which is equipped withevery conceivable computer aid,gadget or text book as well ascomputers of course!
My office backs onto the'Kitchen'where the telex, facsimile machine,franking machine, word processor,and reception area live. I have thefront view which enables me to seethe car park and any visitors arriving.A new tannoy system has just beeninstalled, making finding people atthe right time much easier for all andof course announcing the variouscatering vans that arrive moreprofitable for all!
Vernon Wheeler is permanentlyon site at the moment until all themachines here have been despatched.His whereabouts are not confined toany particular place, he could be inthe conference room, in my office, oron the shop floor up to his elbows'rn grease.
As you go out of my office there isa small flight of stairs with attractivebrick decor leading to the only twooffices above ground level. On theleft is the sales office where DavidCarr, Roger Barnes and Bob Fieldingoperate from amongst a hoard offiling cabinets!
Our conference room is the otheroffice upstairs where any visitingDirector or any meetings are held. Thecoffee machine is also kept in here -perhaps I should have got my priori-ties right and mentioned that firstl
We hope you like the photographof us taken by our personal photo-grapher, Peter Cherry, undoubtedlyoutl in ing everyone's best featu re,and would like to know all about youroffice and how it runs and who'sthereso why not let us see you in the nextedition as you've seen us now!
Bye for now,
DAWNWINTER
MORE íMTLES PER G'ALLONln these days when petrol is a major cost in motoring,
it mÌght be as well to review some of the simple ways ofstretching that costly gallon of juice. A book publishedsome years ago listed over 200 ways of economising
on fuel. ln this article we have timeonly to cover a few obvious points.
Firstly, a heavy clog on thegas pedal really pushes up
consumption. At the topend of the speed range an
extra five miles per hourcosts ten percent more fuel.A cold engine uses far more
petrol than a hot one, sowhen you park, put the car
in a position where you can
get out with a cold engine uses up a lot offuel. When staft¡ng off, put on your seatbelt, adjust your mirror and light upyour cigarette (if necessary) prior tostarting your engine. A standing cardoes nought miles to the gallon ! A lot of fuelis used on holidays, so always adjust yourtyre pressure up to compensate for a fullload. lf you have to use a roof rack, stackthe cases so they form a wedge slopingfrom the front. Take the roof rack off whenyou arrive and don't put it back until yourreturn journey. It is tempting to openwindows on a hot day, Don't! Open windowscreate drag and can increase fuel consump-tion by as much as five per cent. Finally -
the best way to save fuel is to leave the carat home. Walking is a great fuel saverand keeps you fit!
))
drive straight off, reversing and turning to SOLUTION ON REVEBSE
Early January saw the departure of Cliff Croxford, oneof the characters of the Company at PeterboroughCliff left us after looking after the old s¡te at Peterborough lor a number of years, where he was securityman and general factotum.Where's he gone? Well, he's joined the new owners,looking atter the site for them. l'm sure they will find hisexperience invaluable. The gifts presented to Cliff reflecthis interest'in gardening.
KEN RETIRES. AFTER
HALF A CENTURY!
Chief mechanical engineerKen Foster's retirement partywas held in the same roomwhere he started work half a
century ago.
When Mr. Foster joined thethen Butler Machine Tool Co. inHalifax, the firm's drawingoffice, where he was anapprentice, was in AdelaideStreet. Today that office is thecompany's social club, whereMr. Foster entertained colleaguesto mark his retirement.
Fellow employees presentedhim with a slide projector andthe company's directors havegiven him a TV set and adecanter and glasses.
Mr. Foster left Butlers fortwo years to work for a
Huddersfleld firm as a deslgner,"l was asked to return to myjob here," he said. Mr. Fosterand his wife Norma live atSpringwood Avenue, CopleyLane, Halifax. His hobbiesinclude photography, walking,reading, gardening and travel-ing. "Leaving here was awrench, but retirement is anew part of life," he said.
ACROSS1 Salaried Personnel (4)
6 Motor Car lndustry (10)9. Holders of The Football Sh¡eld (8)
'1 1. Rolls Royce of Milling Machines (8)
12 Anc¡ent Med¡cation (5)
1 5. Heavy Load (6)'18 Shaft Horse (7)
19. Priorto CNC (2)
20 His tools include a suit, a case, and acredit card ! (3)
21 Exclamation ! e.g. made when thumb is struckwith a hammer (2)
23 Orator! (5)
24 See 29 across (6,6)?7. One of the Flower Pot Menl (3)
2A A Safety Shoe (4)
29 Us! see 24 across (6,6)30. Technial & Supervisory Staff
Union (ABU) (4)
31. The Boss! (see 12 across) (5)
33 The Keighley Site's Old Emblem (2)
35. Toffee Town (7)
38. Advanced & Unique Grinding Machinefor the Aircraft lndustry (ABU) (3)
39 Metallurg¡sts Study These (6)
41 The Compet¡tion stood in th¡s whenthey first viewed the Camtronic! (3)
42. East London Salesman (7)
43 The Halifax Site's Old Emblem (6)
44 A Polished Fìnishl (6)
DOWN2 A mis-spelt method of cookingl (4)
3. One of the birds who landed on a walll (4)
4 Given with a smile (7)
5 ThisUnitedTeamarenick namedThePosh(12)7 & 8 We manufacture these (7, 5)
10 American Law Enforcers (9)'13. One of our special¡t¡es (8)
14 Why we workl (3)
16. Pencil Pushers - literally! (ABU) (2)
17 We are only second to these (4)
20 Ouick Approach (5)
22 Collect¡vely (2)
23 You have to bera bright one to stay ¡n front (5)
25 Keighley has one but Peterboroughdoesn't and Halifax has one! (1,7)
26 Every Shareholders nightmare thatwe are going to make one of these (4)
32 Everyth¡ng starts at this stagel (6)
34 A method of Milling (4)
36 This Ladd was a Cowboy! (4)
37 Managements best friendsl (ABV) (4)
38 A Shilling (3)
39 B Elliot's Chief Executives'Christian Name (4)
40 To shape on a lathe (4)
Simon BennettKeighley
Thanks Simon
CLUES
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"AN ALTERNATIVE A.ZOF PETERBOROUGH'
Well, as the title suggests, I amgoing to try to outline as briefly aspossible, who and where everyoneis at Peterborough, to try and givepeople an inkling of who's whoand what goes on!
Where shall I start?
As you walk into the newbuilding the smell of lingeringcoolant seeps through the officesfrom the shop floor to indicate thatwork has already begun on theCadillac and Bay City Machines.There you will usually find a fewelectrical engineers, such as Nigel(Tut)Wells and Roy Pooleconversing with the likes of MikeRogers or any one of the GSTpersonnel.
Just beyond the shop floor tothe back of the building lies theDrawing Office with a view over-looking farmers fields. The officeitself runs the whole width of thebuilding with drawing boards andbodies running along the length,i.e. Stan Wheeler, Eric Leonard,Peter Swindley, Tim Holt,Brian (BA) Andrews, GeorgeWhitwell, Keith Tinker, BrianBeecham and Ray Morris, with a fewsub-contractors along the otherside, one of whom is also calledBrian which can confuse things,just like having a production lineof Brians!
Directly adjoining the DrawingOffice on one side is the print room -one half of Peter Cherry's facilities -
his other being the dark room! Youcan guarantee that if you go to oneroom to find him, he's in the other!
The Electronics section adjoinsthe other end of the Drawing Officeand runs up the side of the building.There are three other roomsopposite and joining to Electronicsthat bglong to them, one is a testrig, the other a store and the third
the anti-chamber to the shop floor!This is where Mike Rogers, lanParmenter, Roy Poole, Nigel (Tut)Wells, and all GST people live.You can often see them disectingcircuit boards as well!
The next office is Peter Cherry'sdark room as mentioned, and thencomes the 'Mess Room' or the'Microwave Room' or the 'Kitchen'the names are numerous. Every dayat around 1 2.30 this room isfull withpeople using the microwave,making tea or coffee or eventoasting sandwiches on a heater-turned-'sandwich maker' thanksto our electrical genii.
Allan Fisher and Jimmy Mozaffarshare an office which is equipped withevery conceivable computer aid,gadget or text book as well ascomputers of course!
My office backs onto the'Kitchen'where the telex, facsimile machine,franking machine, word processor,and reception area live. I have thefront view which enables me to seethe car park and any visitors arriving.A new tannoy system has just beeninstalled, making finding people atthe right time much easier for all andof course announcing the variouscatering vans that arrive moreprofitable for all!
Vernon Wheeler is permanentlyon site at the moment until all themachines here have been despatched.His whereabouts are not confined toany particular place, he could be inthe conference room, in my office, oron the shop floor up to his elbows'rn grease.
As you go out of my office there isa small flight of stairs with attractivebrick decor leading to the only twooffices above ground level. On theleft is the sales office where DavidCarr, Roger Barnes and Bob Fieldingoperate from amongst a hoard offiling cabinets!
Our conference room is the otheroffice upstairs where any visitingDirector or any meetings are held. Thecoffee machine is also kept in here -perhaps I should have got my priori-ties right and mentioned that firstl
We hope you like the photographof us taken by our personal photo-grapher, Peter Cherry, undoubtedlyoutl in ing everyone's best featu re,and would like to know all about youroffice and how it runs and who'sthereso why not let us see you in the nextedition as you've seen us now!
Bye for now,
DAWNWINTER
MORE íMTLES PER G'ALLONln these days when petrol is a major cost in motoring,
it mÌght be as well to review some of the simple ways ofstretching that costly gallon of juice. A book publishedsome years ago listed over 200 ways of economising
on fuel. ln this article we have timeonly to cover a few obvious points.
Firstly, a heavy clog on thegas pedal really pushes up
consumption. At the topend of the speed range an
extra five miles per hourcosts ten percent more fuel.A cold engine uses far more
petrol than a hot one, sowhen you park, put the car
in a position where you can
get out with a cold engine uses up a lot offuel. When staft¡ng off, put on your seatbelt, adjust your mirror and light upyour cigarette (if necessary) prior tostarting your engine. A standing cardoes nought miles to the gallon ! A lot of fuelis used on holidays, so always adjust yourtyre pressure up to compensate for a fullload. lf you have to use a roof rack, stackthe cases so they form a wedge slopingfrom the front. Take the roof rack off whenyou arrive and don't put it back until yourreturn journey. It is tempting to openwindows on a hot day, Don't! Open windowscreate drag and can increase fuel consump-tion by as much as five per cent. Finally -
the best way to save fuel is to leave the carat home. Walking is a great fuel saverand keeps you fit!
))
drive straight off, reversing and turning to SOLUTION ON REVEBSE
Early January saw the departure of Cliff Croxford, oneof the characters of the Company at PeterboroughCliff left us after looking after the old s¡te at Peterborough lor a number of years, where he was securityman and general factotum.Where's he gone? Well, he's joined the new owners,looking atter the site for them. l'm sure they will find hisexperience invaluable. The gifts presented to Cliff reflecthis interest'in gardening.
KEN RETIRES. AFTER
HALF A CENTURY!
Chief mechanical engineerKen Foster's retirement partywas held in the same roomwhere he started work half a
century ago.
When Mr. Foster joined thethen Butler Machine Tool Co. inHalifax, the firm's drawingoffice, where he was anapprentice, was in AdelaideStreet. Today that office is thecompany's social club, whereMr. Foster entertained colleaguesto mark his retirement.
Fellow employees presentedhim with a slide projector andthe company's directors havegiven him a TV set and adecanter and glasses.
Mr. Foster left Butlers fortwo years to work for a
Huddersfleld firm as a deslgner,"l was asked to return to myjob here," he said. Mr. Fosterand his wife Norma live atSpringwood Avenue, CopleyLane, Halifax. His hobbiesinclude photography, walking,reading, gardening and travel-ing. "Leaving here was awrench, but retirement is anew part of life," he said.
ACROSS1 Salaried Personnel (4)
6 Motor Car lndustry (10)9. Holders of The Football Sh¡eld (8)
'1 1. Rolls Royce of Milling Machines (8)
12 Anc¡ent Med¡cation (5)
1 5. Heavy Load (6)'18 Shaft Horse (7)
19. Priorto CNC (2)
20 His tools include a suit, a case, and acredit card ! (3)
21 Exclamation ! e.g. made when thumb is struckwith a hammer (2)
23 Orator! (5)
24 See 29 across (6,6)?7. One of the Flower Pot Menl (3)
2A A Safety Shoe (4)
29 Us! see 24 across (6,6)30. Technial & Supervisory Staff
Union (ABU) (4)
31. The Boss! (see 12 across) (5)
33 The Keighley Site's Old Emblem (2)
35. Toffee Town (7)
38. Advanced & Unique Grinding Machinefor the Aircraft lndustry (ABU) (3)
39 Metallurg¡sts Study These (6)
41 The Compet¡tion stood in th¡s whenthey first viewed the Camtronic! (3)
42. East London Salesman (7)
43 The Halifax Site's Old Emblem (6)
44 A Polished Fìnishl (6)
DOWN2 A mis-spelt method of cookingl (4)
3. One of the birds who landed on a walll (4)
4 Given with a smile (7)
5 ThisUnitedTeamarenick namedThePosh(12)7 & 8 We manufacture these (7, 5)
10 American Law Enforcers (9)'13. One of our special¡t¡es (8)
14 Why we workl (3)
16. Pencil Pushers - literally! (ABU) (2)
17 We are only second to these (4)
20 Ouick Approach (5)
22 Collect¡vely (2)
23 You have to bera bright one to stay ¡n front (5)
25 Keighley has one but Peterboroughdoesn't and Halifax has one! (1,7)
26 Every Shareholders nightmare thatwe are going to make one of these (4)
32 Everyth¡ng starts at this stagel (6)
34 A method of Milling (4)
36 This Ladd was a Cowboy! (4)
37 Managements best friendsl (ABV) (4)
38 A Shilling (3)
39 B Elliot's Chief Executives'Christian Name (4)
40 To shape on a lathe (4)
Simon BennettKeighley
Thanks Simon
CLUES
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So you think youte got it rough . . .
Keighley has long been a centre ofthemachine tool industry, and in the year 191 1
I was apprenticed, aged 1 5, as a draughtsman.The wage was 5s., rising by a shilling a year untilone was 21. The starting time was 8.30 a.m.except on two mornings when I had to start at7 a.m. for cleaning, which included sweepingthe floor using wet sawdust.
The office was old and located alongside theRiver Worth, and another duty was to act as ratcatcher, a "Nipper" trap and wire cage beingprovided.
My greatest success was finding fouryoung rats in the wire cage. These weredrowned and thrown on the scrap heap in theyard, though when a workman named Simpsonarrived he picked up the rats, massaged themand placed them on the blacksmith's heartharound the fire. Three revived, and Simpson,borrowing the cage, told me that he trainedAiredales for ratting and that I was never towaste any rats.
Blueprints were taken to dry in front of thisfire. The smith, a serious man, was fond ofremarking "Do you know, lad, that lwork underthe most scandalous conditions of any smithin this country." A common practice was tosend a young apprentice on some fictitiouserrand, but any lad coming in the smithyasking for "the short circuit" was marched backto the sender and both given a sharp rebuke.
The striker being more friendly, used to quote"the Smith a mighty man is he, what musthis Striker be."
Strict economy was practised, brown paperand string from parcels was saved. lt wasrumoured thatthe chief draughtsman had threedrawers labelled respectively: long pieces ofstring; short pieces; pieces too short to beused. Certainly on occasions he would comewith a smalljug and pour some water into thebottles of lndian ink, explaining that it wouldstand thinning down. He also produced a
shoe box and suggested that the surplusrubber from the drawing boards might besaved and sold, but this suggestion wasignored.
At the age of 1 I each young draughtsmanwent into the works for 18 months. This meantstarting at 6 a,m. with breakfast at 8.30 takensitting on the bench. There was no canteenand no hot water for making tea, these facilitiesnot appearing until the First War. The toiletaccommodation was crude, the seating in a rowof six being merely a narrow plank with a
constant stream of water from the beckrunning underneath. At intervals workmenwith a misplaced sense of humour would lighta sheet of newspaper and float it under anycustomers occupying the seats.
lnstruction was almost lacking, the appren-tice picking up what he could by watching
the seniors. ln the turning shop the foreman'sinstructions on precision was limited to tworemarks: "This can be as rough as a bear'sbehind," or "this is important, ¡t wants to beto the ten thousandth part of a cat's hair."
There were 12 machine tool firms inKeighley at this period, but the firm in questionwent bankrupt in the recession of 1924. I joinedthe staff of the Keighley Technical Col lege, thePrincipal being William Healey, father of Denis(later Chancellor of the Exchequer) and hisbrother. My wife and myself spent many hourslooking after these tvvo, then, small boys.
Holidays 1986 - From Butlers to BaliIt isthat time of year once again -Xmas overnot much to look forward to, other than acold, grey English winter.
The warming news is that 1986 has all themakings of a bumper year for packageholidays abroad. This is a result of adisastrous summer in 1985, a strong poundand a price war between the holidaycompanies: also whilst inflation soars,holiday costs are in most cases, far lessthan last year.
Most tour operators are claiming that theyare 1 00% up on bookings made at thesame time last year, therefore the messagethis year is the late Fred Pontin's famoussaying "Book Early". Getting a cheapbargain by booking late, is becoming athing ofthe past.
There,is further good news foremployees of Butler Newall. PickfordsTravel is offering a 5% discount on mostholidays abroad for employees travellingwith their immediate family.
Let me tàke you on a quick guide of thecurrent leaders for holiday destinations,to give you some ideas on where peopleare booking this year:
This year is seeing the emergence ofSpain as the No. t hotspot, with Greece andher islands a close second. Spain has, after abad year's publicity in 1985, cleaned up herimage by lower hotel rates and raising hotelstandards, thus along with some excellentchild reductions makes a good valueholiday destination,
Greece and her islands are a must forpeople who worship the sun and enjoyrelaxed evenings in Tavernas. Most oftheaccommodation is made up of self-cateringapartments and tavernas, (usually owned bya friendly Greek family), but the fun startsby joining in with the locals at a taverna,eating locally caught fresh fish, along with abottle of Retsina, and pretending you areZorba, when the Bazouki music starts.
The country which is seeing the biggestboom, must be Yugoslavia - the favouriteresorts being Dubrovnik and Porec.
Yugoslavia is a country with manyvariations, from Flotilla sailing to popularnaturist holidays for the more adventurous.
This year also sees the emergence of newdestinations, in particular, Turkey. A counlrythat is beginning to realise its potential intourism. Boasting some glorious beaches -Marmaris and Bodrum seem to be the mostpopular.
Further afield, but yet within reach bothfinancially and distance-wise, exoticsounding places swuch as The Maldives,Bali, St. Lucia and Barbados, are now a realityfor more and more Brit¡sh tourists.
The most popular of the long haulholiday market is the U.S.A., due largelyto the upward surge of Sterling. Disneyworldand the Epcot Centre in the sunshine state ofFlorida, are getting their fair share of Britishholidaymakers - a two centre holiday
combining Miami Beach and Orlando, willcost you approximately Ê550 per personfrom Manchester. Great value for two weeksin first class hotels and an 8000 mileround trip.
I hope I have given you some ideas onwhere to take your holidays this year. Bybooking early, you should get the holiday ofyour choice and something to look forwardto, whilst watching T.V. on a long, darkwinter's night, listening to the rain andsnow driving dow¡ against your window.
Come and see us at Pickfords Travel, at6 Cheapside, Halifax: and RENIEMBER -
5% DISCOUNTTO ALLBUTLER NEWALL EMPLOYEES
HAVE A GOOD HOLIDAYIFRANK MALCHER, t¡ rrusrrr
BRANCH MANAGER (PICKFORDS TRAVEL)
GENERAL KNOWLEDGEoutz
1. Who was the second man to run a mile inunder 4 minutes?
2. Which Couturier designed the "New Look"?
3. Which motor manufacturer marketed a carcalled a "Saphire"?
4. Where is the Bay of Carpentaria?
5. Whofollowed Henry ltothe EnglishThrone?
6. What were the composer Tchaikovsky'sforenames?
7. What is "Aquaeus Humour"?
8. Name 3 Musicals which won the Oscarfor Best Film?
9. ln American Football what are the"Hash Lines"?
10. Who wrote underthe pen name "Saki"Answeß in Next Ed¡tíon
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ÈIEWALLMACHINE TOOLS
When we f¡rst brought together Butler, Keighley Grinders andNewall under the operating banner of Butler Newall, we fortunatelyant¡c¡pated the ma¡or¡ty of problems facing us, although I mustconfess, with hindsight, some came as a surpr¡se.
Message fManaging
rom theD¡rector
Spring lssue
very healthy order book whichwill show a further increase in activitylevels over last year.
It remains a very competitiveworld market we are operating in withours a particularly difficult sector asmachine tool manufacturers, so thecontinuing pressure to improveperformance and reduce costs mustgo on. '
We spent quite a sum on traininglast year as we firmly believe theway forward is to increase expertisewithin the company. We have takenon Apprent¡ces for the first timefor many years. We have already puttogether a sizeable training planfor this year. lf anyone feels theyhave been overlooked they shouldurgently discuss it with Peter Wilds.
We are well on the way to linkingthe Keighley factory onto the Halifaxcomputer which has cost us in excessof f50,000. However, itshould give usmuch greater control on schedulingof production and material require-ment with the whole exercise expectedto be complete by mid 1987.
I am continually asked "what doElliotts make of our problems?" Well,they are, as you would expect,extremely concerned. They have beenvery patient both.by supporting usand resisting undue outside andinternal pressure on the company.They have allocated funds to assist inidentifying new markets and productsan intensive study of which is ongoingat the moment. Mr. Frye, the Chairmanis directing this study which should beof real benefit to us in the future.
At lastthe company is ableto developa strategic plan for the future with confi-dence. However, at the end of the dayElliotts are looking for results and it is upto us to give them those results by stick-ing to programmes and getting qualitymachines delivered as scheduled, attheright price, at the lowest cost to us,installed and working into thecustomers plant in the shortest time.This can only be achieved if we are allpull¡ng together. Here's to a prosperousfuture for all and maybe even a trip tothose Bahamas!
K. LEECHManaging Director
One area in parlicular whichcaused us concern was howwe couldwin the commitment of everyone tothe survival of the new company,particularly when you took into con-sideration the experiences of thepreceeding few years, the fact that thethree sites were a distance apart andmost employees would perhapsnever actually meet, even though thefuture success depended on theirjoint efforts.
Rlghtly orwrongly we decided thata major step towards gaining thecommitment we needed to succeedwas to try to make people feelinvolved, make them understandwhat was going on and why, hencethe introduction of Briefing Notesand Kephax.
Even though I agreed with thisnew, what is to most openness wewere embarking upon, lwas con-cerned in as much that business is insome ways like a marriage; lifedoesn't always fun smoothly and attimes things are not all we would likethem to be but to avoid depressingour partner we tend to shelter themfrom the problems as much as wepossibly can.
My dilemma, when reminded thatthe next issue of Kephax was due was,just how far should I go in explainingour problems which are at the momentquite depressing and frustrating -when what is really needed is analmighty effort by all. I think this some-what explains my long introduction.
At the moment Butler Newall isgoing through a very difficult periodwhich could not be at a worse time,with the financial year end just past.We still have at present a largenumber of grinding machines and
Elgamills to complete and ship.Cash is now extremely tight with thebuild-up of semi-finished machinesalmost unbelievable. (lf you hadto live off the interest we are payingon our borrowings, you certainlywouldn't be shivering in this weather,you would be in the Bahamas soakingup the sun and drinking halves ofbitter at f4.50 a time! - so l'm told)
Our problem is simply one ofgetting machines out of the door.Unfortunately we are in a very fastmoving technological arena wherethe micron is viewed as a mountainand the microprocessor is believedto solve everything including thatmrcron.
The major cause of the build-upin work in progress is the new CamGrinder which accounts for 23 of themachines in build at Keighley. We arestruggling, not to beat drawing toler-ances (which we have already done),butto reach near perfection. Never-theless my confidence in the machineis just as high as when we embarkedon the project machine and the endresult is a cred¡t to the company.It is in my opinion the best machineof its type on the market.
The way out of our present problemsis not to panic, but to take as many otherpressures as possible off the peopleworking on the Cam Grinders andallocate other resources to the othermachines in the programme, which isjust what we have done and it will, I amconfident, pay dividends in the not toodistant future.
On the bright side, our order inputhas been exceptionally good since thelast issue of Kephax. We have preparedour budget for next year with thingslooking quite encouraging from a
